Rabies

Treatment

Clean the wound well with soap and water, and seek professional medical help. You'll need a doctor to thoroughly clean the wound and remove any foreign objects (debridement). Most of the time, stitches should not be used for animal bite wounds.

If there is any risk of rabies, you will be given a preventive vaccine.

Outlook (Prognosis)

It's possible to prevent rabies if immunization is given within 2 days of the bite. To date, no one in the United States has developed rabies when given the vaccine promptly and appropriately.

Once the symptoms appear, few people survive the disease. Death from respiratory failure usually occurs within 7 days after symptoms start.

Possible Complications

Untreated, rabies can lead to coma and death.

In rare cases, some people may have an allergic reaction to the rabies vaccine.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if an animal bites you.

References

Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002:1837-1838.

Stantic-Pavlinic M. Public health concerns in bat rabies across Europe. Euro Surveill. 2005;10(11):217-220.

Brookes SM, Aegerter JN, Smith GC. European bat lyssavirus in Scottish bats. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11(4):572-578.

Cohen J, Powderly WG. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier; 2004:1503-1506.

McLellan SL. Vaccine special issues: yellow fever, rabies, and Japanese encephalitis. Clin Fam Pract. 2005;7:697-716.

Marx J. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2006.